Agent Alpha and the Angel maker

Even for a lost wolf

*Zac*

I finally find my way to where her phone should be, leaving the path to slide down a small slope. I hope my tracker works and I am not just ending up in some swampy lake wet and alone. There are so many, for me, strange scents, that my werewolf nose isn’t even much of a help.

Suddenly, a big dark shadow is jumping in front of me, growling deep in its throat and for a second I wonder if it’s a feral werewolf, then realise it is just a big dog.

I call out. “Astrid, darling ... are you down here ? Is the bear yours ?”

“Yeah, I’m here”. Her voice sounds close by, and it is rather choked up. “And it’s my dog, Pjuske ... so please don't shoot him ... he isn’t dangerous”.

“Hey, I am actually offended here. What do you take me for ? Like I would ever shoot a dog ... I love dogs”. I call back. The dog has stopped about four feet away, eyeing me.

She lets out a sound that almost sounds like a chuckle. “Oh, so just people you shoot then ?”

“Well, people I don’t like as much as dogs, humans are much less trustworthy”. I squat down, holding my hand out to him. “Hi there boy ... so what do you say ? Is it okay with you if I just go help your human out ?”

The huge dog slowly walks closer, and he seems to give me a look over, before sticking out his head to sniff my fingers. Then he gives them a wet lick and I reach to scratch behind his ear. “Good boy ... so you and I are friends now, right ? I mean we are kinda family”

He nudges my hand with his head, before turning and padding back into the dim evening, to go to his human. Another perk of being a wolf is that dogs see me as one of their own … It can, however, sometimes cause problems with more dominant dogs.

I get up and carefully make my way over to where Astrid is sitting. “Hi darling, I came as fast as possible and backup is on the way too”.

“Good”. She looks up at me shortly, from where she is sitting in the reeds, the head of a small girl nestled in her lap. Her fingers gently caress the pale cheek, like a loving mother.

I have seen a lot in my life, and I mean a lot, but some things just never stop getting under your skin and I have to swallow to keep in a gasp. God, the poor thing can’t be much more than 3 years old. She is still lying halfway in the murky water, looking almost like some mermaid or fairy tale creature. But I am pretty sure there are none of those in these murky waters.

“So you and the dog found her floating in the water ?” I say softly, squatting down beside her. My eyes instantly scanned the area for any clues or things left by the killer.

She nodded slowly, her face ghostly pale in the moonlight. “Yeah, Pjuske was looking for a stick ... I heard weird sounds and went to get him. I ... I think I know who she is ... a local girl disappeared from a playground a few days ago. She fits the description”.

“Come on, let's get her out of the water”. I decide that with her already being in the water, and Astrid holding her, there isn't a big possibility of ruining any clues left by getting the body up on the brink.

She nods slowly, a tear slipping down her cheek. “I tried, but she is stuck ... I think it’s those ...”. She shudders slightly. “It’s the wings, they are caught on something”.

I feel that there is something I don't understand here yet. I mean, yes, it is utterly heartbreaking, even for a f**k up like me. But Astrid seems ... personally involved, the way she seems ... frozen, her voice ... the tender way she is holding the little girl.

“I’ll handle it darling ... just stay”. I breathe in deeply, before walking into the cold, murky water, halfway expecting some evil creature to emerge and drag me to its depths.

I reach down, sliding my arms under the small body, feeling my skin crawl as the wet cloth and the feathers touch me. Astrid was right, it is the wings that are caught on some roots under water. With a bit of force I manage to get them loose and lift the poor little thing up on the shore.

If I had been feeling a bit clouded when I arrived, after trying once again to drown my own pain and fears, then my head is most definitely clear now, the breeze making the soaked clothes stick to my skin, goosebumps springing up like a troll from a box.

“They are swan wings ... he gave her swan wings ?!” She is shaking her head, kneeling beside the body. Her face contorted with pain and horror.

I shake my head, the wings seem stuck to the body in some way I don't even want to think about. “He turned her into an angel”.

“Hello ... are you down here?” Someone calls out and a flashlight is turned on us from up on the path. The backup has arrived, ready to take over.

And soon the place is swamped with police and forensics. Astrid and I have both been wrapped in blankets and are being asked over and over about what we have seen, heard and done since we found the body.

I can see how she kind of slumps more and more and she starts snapping at the questions. In the end, I get enough. “I think you have enough for now. I am taking her home and you can ask her tomorrow if there is more you need to know”.

“But ... but we just ...”. Some guy who looks fresh out of the police academy stutters.

I pull off the blankets, throwing them in his arms and letting a tiny bit of the wolf poke out as I growl. “I said enough, so f**k of noob. Come here Astrid, let's get you home in the warmth”.